I have been thinking about my prayer life recently and prayer in general. Prayer seems like an obvious, simple part of the Christian life but I know I often struggle with it. Why is prayer so hard at times? Here are a few challenges I’ve faced and am still working through.
No Time
Prayer is something that we often say we don’t have time for. When I imagine myself not having time to pray, I’m thinking of sitting in a chair for an hour. Yes, in that moment it’s easy to say I have no time for that! However, we see in I Thess. 5:17 the simple verse, “Pray without ceasing.” And we have to acknowledge that can’t mean walking around with eyes closed 24/7, but God wouldn’t give us something impossible to do so…. I’ve heard it said this way — we are to continually, as things pop in our minds or happen around us, bring them to God in prayer. I have started praying a quick prayer for the day before I get out of bed in the mornings. I will pray for specific people before I read my Bible. When I hear of a need, I stop and pray for just that request. We somehow have in our minds that prayer doesn’t “work” unless we are on our knees. Yes, we need to make time for structured prayer {more on that below} but we can also be sending on-the-spot prayers up all day! Consistency builds a habit that slowly becomes natural.
No Thought
This sounds like a weird one but let me explain. I was having a conversation with one of my children the other day and he said he sometimes feels like all his prayers are the same and he asked what to do. I was brought up short for a minute. We talked through what he usually prays, what other things he could pray for, and to remember Who we are praying to. I walked away from that conversation thinking about my own prayers. Was I mindlessly praying the same thing? Could I remember what I prayed that morning? Sometimes an activity can become so routine we perform it without thinking. While prayer should be part of our daily routine, it shouldn’t be aimlessly quoted. And that leads into the next point…
No Plan
Beyond having a set aside time to pray, we should go into that time with a plan of what to pray. Back to the conversation with my son, he told me at camp, the speaker had mentioned praising God for what he has done before asking for what we want done. You might have heard of the ACTS method* of praying: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. This helps to put the focus on God and less on us. By starting our prayers with praise to God, confession for any sins in our lives, thankfulness for what we already have, and then asking for our needs, we’re reminded of who we are compared to Who we are praying to. Thinking about how we pray through these keeps us focused during prayer.
No Desire
This is the one we might struggle with but don’t want to admit. What Christian doesn’t want to talk to God?! But sometimes seasons of life or circumstances leave us fumbling. What can we even pray? God already knows so why do it? Things just seem to get worse! If this sounds familiar, I encourage you to start praying the Psalms back to God. It doesn’t have to be word for word. But read through Psalm 1, then pray it:
Lord, help me be someone who doesn’t stand with the wicked. Give me a desire for your wisdom and your Word. Help me manage my time so I can meditate on your Word. Plant me in your truth and bring people into my life to encourage me.
When we are going through trials or a dry season spiritually, it’s difficult to have the words to say. Praying the Bible, particularly the Psalms, back to God is a helpful way to stay in the habit of praying.
Be encouraged, friend! There are ways to tackle the excuses and difficulties we can find ourselves struggling with. It’s always good to have an accountability partner for things like Bible reading and prayer, someone who will keep you on track and ask how things are going.
If you still don’t know where to begin, simply start talking to God! Bring your worries to him, praise him for the beauty of nature, give thanks for what you have. The more you become used to talking to God, the easier it will become.
*I have no idea who first came up with this acronym but I like it and take no credit for it!
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